The present invention relates to a slide cradle for a scrap cutter or a scrap-baling press, and includes a stationary wall, a feed pusher or slide that is movable along the stationary wall, and a compactor wall that is disposed across from the stationary wall, rests upon a loading and compacting base, and, via two hydraulic cylinders that can be actuated independently of one another, is angularly adjustable about both ends. The compactor wall is pivotably guided at one of the ends along a stationary side wall about a hinged support that has a vertical pivot axis. The opposite, free end of the compactor wall rests against a concave side of a closure wall that is movably guided on a base plate of the slide cradle in two degrees of freedom in such a way that not only is the contact between the compactor wall and the closure wall always maintained, but also constant contact is established between a convexly curved end face of the closure wall and a facing planar side surface of the feed slide as long as the feed slide is in a starting position.
With such slide cradles, a movable olosure wall is intended to prevent the material that is to be compacted from leaving the effective arrange of the angularly adjustable compactor wall at the free, unguided end.
It is known with slide cradles for scrap cutters, in the region between the free, unguided end of the compactor wall, which is angularly adjustable about both of its ends, and the feed slide in its starting position, to dispose a closure wall that is movable in two degrees of freedom upon the base plate of the slide cradle (DE-GM 87 17 229). The convex end face of this movable closure wall contacts the side surface of the feed slide and maintains its contact with this feed slide via positive means, suoh as cams and pertaining curved grooves between the closure wall and the base plate of the slide oradle. To close the interior of the slide cradle, the movable closure wall is brought into positive contact with the vertical front edge of the free, unguided end of the angularly adjustable compactor wall via hydraulic cylinders and/or springs.
Also known is a slide cradle for a scrap cutter where the end wall remote from the cutter is provided as the closure wall and is movable upon the base plate of the slide cradle with only one degree of freedom (DE-PS 20 56 715). With this known arrangement, the closure wall, which rests under the effect of a resiliently yielding force against the adjacent ends of the side compactor, is either pivotable about a fixed connection or is displaceable in the manner of a drawer.
Unfortunately, the positive closing of the periphery of the slide cradle does not ensure a disruption-free operation, since the material that is to be compacted can, after overcoming the spring or hydraulic cylinder force, become jammed between the movable closure wall and the angularly adjustable compactor wall.
A further drawback is that the constant positive or frictional connection between the movable closure wall and the angularly adjustable compactor wall caused by the forces of the springs and/or the hydraulic cylinders, leads to increased friction and hence to increased wear as well as to an increased requirement of force for the drive means of the angularly adjustable compactor wall.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve a slide cradle of the aforementioned general type in such a way that a jamming of the material that is to be compacted between the movable closure wall and the free end of the angularly adjustable compactor wall is prevented, and that the power required for the drive means of the angularly adjustable compactor wall is reduced.